Biopics rarely, if ever, capture or elucidate the essence of an artist’s work. Perhaps Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There,” with its many takes on a Bob Dylan-like character, is the closest thing, but then it’s not really a biography.

Marc Abraham’s film “I Saw the Light,” which tells the story of Hank Williams, tries to solve the enigma of the country legend, who died in 1953 at the age of 29. Though his music continues to reverberate today, what we know about him on a personal level is minimal. Even Colin Escott’s biography that the movie is based on is more of a collection of established facts, anecdotes and speculation rather than insights or analysis into what made Williams the folk genius he was.

Abraham’s film takes a straight line through the singer-songwriter’s life: his career highs and lows, loves and losses, drinking and dependency on painkillers. At least in Tom Hiddleston’s performance as Williams, we can sense the pain and heartache that led him to create such memorable songs as “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”

Hiddleston does his own singing in the film, and though closer to a baritone than Hank’s tenor, the actor manages to capture the personal aspects of the songs.

Because of the rigid nature of country music at the time, Williams created an alter ego known as Luke the Drifter that let him explore his edgier side. He made one album under that name, with the most well-known song being “Ramblin’ Man,” a plaintive minor key dirge. It’s a sharp contrast to the jukebox numbers he recorded for MGM Records, which included formulaic upbeat arrangements, even as you could hear the pain in his voice as he sang “Cold, Cold Heart.”

In the movie, Hiddleston sings a stripped-down version of “Your Cheatin’ Heart” that feels closer to Williams’ intent than the versions he ended up recording. Williams’ own demo of the song is slower and more self-aware than the well-known version.

In the film, Hiddleston gives you a sense of how Williams chafed at the box he was often put in, but the actor also conveys the joy of his performances. So while “I Saw the Light” may not wrap Williams’ life into a neat package everybody can agree on, it does make him human.

House of Cards

The fourth season of “House of Cards” gave President Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) a formidable adversary, his tough-as-nails wife, Claire (Robin Wright). If you haven’t binge-watched it on Netflix by now and are waiting for the box set, you will find no spoilers here. Let’s just say there are some great twists and turns ahead and look out for his Republican challenger, Gov. Will Conway (Joel Kinnaman), and his wife, Hannah (Dominique McElligott), who are no pushovers.

Rob Lowman began at the L.A. Daily News working in editing positions on the news side, including working on Page 1 the day the L.A. Riots began in 1992. In 1993, he made the move to features, and in 1995 became the Entertainment Editor for 15 years. He returned to writing full time in 2010. Throughout his career he has interviewed a wide range of celebrities in the arts. The list includes the likes of Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood to Kristin Stewart and Emma Stone in Hollywood; classical figures like Yo Yo Ma and Gustavo Dudamel to pop stars like Norah Jones, Milly Cyrus and Madonna; and authors such as Joseph Heller, John Irving and Lee Child. Rob has covered theater, dance and the fine arts as well as reviewing film, TV and stage. He has also covered award shows and written news stories related to the entertainment business. A longtime resident of Santa Clarita, Rob is still working on his first more-than-30-year marriage, has three grown children (all with master's degrees) and five guitars.